Photographic printing and vignetting



I L. GUTEKUNST. Photographic Printing and Vignetting. No. 243,370. Patented June 28,1881.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

LOUIS GUTEKUNST, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING AND VIGNETTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,370, dated June 28, 1881.

Application filed March 11, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS GU'rEKUNsr, a citizen of the United States, residing in the cityand countyof Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Photography, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of my improvement applied to a photograph-printing t'rame. Figs. 2 and 3 are views of detached portions thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists, first, in preparing photographic paper in pieces or shapes of required sizes to accord with a marked-out mat, so that there is a saving of paper, silver, &c., and tiimming is avoided.

It also consists in forming a mat with an opaque portion, whereby when more than one picture is taken on one negative the one selected is uncovered for printing purposes, as usual, and the other is covered, so that on a piece of sensitized paper of proper width two pictures may be successively printed, one portion of the paper being shielded from the light while the other is exposed.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a photographic-printingfra me of usual construction.

B represents a mat, which is formed with an opening, a, and an opaque portion, 1).

As is well known, two or more pictures are taken on the same negative, and the best one is selected and the others are covered or washed oft.

In carrying out my invention the mask or mat b is placed on the negative and secured to it by small patches 0, or other means, pasted or gummed over the edges of the mat to the glass, care being taken that the opening a occupies the proper position relatively to the selected picture on the negative, so as to uncover the same, the other picture being covered by the opaque portion 1) of the mat, as in Fig. 1. The piece 0 of sensitized paper is of double width, and thus adapted for two pictures. I first apply the piece 0 to the opening a, so thatthe latter is occupied by one half of said piece O, the other half of the piece restingon the opaque portion 1), and thus kept unexposed to the light. The back of the frame A is applied, and the printing then accomplished (N0 model.)

as usual. When the print is made the piece 0 is reversed, so that the print rests against the opaque portion of the mat, and the fresh or unused part of the piece 0 occupies the opening a. The back of the frame is secured and the printing again accomplished, after which the piece 0 is removed and severed in the middle, two pictures thus resulting.

In the preparation of the sensitized paper I cut sheets thereof of the size actually required, and mark out on the mat by lines cl the size of the cut paper, so that when the paper is placed on the mat the lines d form the register therefor, and thus the paper reststrue in position and the pictures are of one size. The practice heretofore has been to cut the paper nearly the required size, then print, and trim ofl" the edges afterward. As is evident, this occasions a loss of paper, silver, &c., and consumes much time, all of which I avoid by my invention. The sizes are predetermined and cut with the best results, so that there is no loss, or butlittle loss, in the original sheet. Then the sizes for vignette, cabinet, &c., constituting a marketable commodity, are ready for printing. Each piece is laid on the mat and fitted, as it were, to the guiding-lines d. The picture is then printed and ready for toning and finishing without cutting down or trimming.

For vignettes the edges of the opening a may act as a register or guide similar to the lines (I. For the double pieces (J the lines (I are extended over the opaque portion 1); but

for pieces for a single picture the lines (1 are formed around the opening c.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim'as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in the method of pre paring sensitized or photographicpaper, which consists in cutting the same into pieces or shapes which shall. exactly register with the mat covering the negative, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A photographicmat having both an opening, a, and opaque portion 1), constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

LOUIS GUTEKUNS'I.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEnERsnniM, A. 1?. GRANT. 

